Mavericks Deal Pelicans A 5th-Straight Loss
New Orleans, LA -The New Orleans Pelicans headed home to start a six-game homestand, trying to break a four-game losing streak. Dallas didn't oblige as they blew out New Orleans 136-124 Sunday evening in the Smoothie King Center. It's New Orleans' fifth straight loss after starting the season 4-1.
New Orleans knew it faced an uphill battle trying to slow down the highest-scoring backcourt in the NBA. To make matters more difficult, Herb Jones missed his third straight game dealing with his injured fibula. The Pelicans did receive a boost with the return of Naji Marshall, and he made his presence felt early. Marshall scored six points in the first quarter after seeing his first action of the regular season.
It wasn't enough, as the Mavericks were hot shooting in the first quarter. Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 11 points, while the Dallas bench scored 13 points in the quarter. Overall, the Mavs led 34-27 after shooting 52% from the field and outscoring New Orleans in the paint 18-6.
Irving continued his onslaught in the second quarter by scoring another 11 points for a game-high 22 points by halftime. New Orleans dug themselves in a hole by committing 11 first-half turnovers, leading directly to 12 Mavericks points. At one point, the Mavs led by 16 points, before New Orleans went on a mini run to cut the lead down to 10 points right before the half. Irving then hit a buzzer-beater three-point shot to give Dallas a 67-54 lead at halftime.
Nov 12, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (7) breaks away for a layup against New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) during the first half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports
Any chance of a Pelicans comeback was dashed with another abysmal third quarter by New Orleans. Dallas outscored the Pelicans 42-31 in the period, marking the fourth time in the last five games the Pelicans gave up at least 40 points in either the second or third quarter. Luka Doncic scored 15 points in the third period, and the Mavericks three-point shot was falling.
The Mavericks were +18 from beyond the arc after three-quarters of play, while the Pelicans were outscored by double figures in the paint. New Orleans did get a major contribution from Dyson Daniels who scored 17 points after three quarters of play, a career-high for him. Still, the Pelicans had too many self-inflicted wounds, and Dallas led 109-85 heading into the fourth quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter fans began to file out of the arena as the Mavs lead grew to 28 points. The Dallas dynamic backcourt lived up to the hype. Luka and Kyrie combined for 65 points, ten rebounds, and 16 assists. Meanwhile, the Pelicans duo of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson combined for 38 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists.
These two teams meet again on Tuesday night as a part of the NBA In-Season Tournament. New Orleans then hosts the reiging NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Friday evening.
